Should Sheffield City Centre have an NHS Community Diagnostic Facility?

Free Sheffield City Centre Seminar – 25th November 2025

The background:

1. Community Diagnostic Centres (CDC) are a government NHS strategy, explained at https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/community-diagnostic-centres/
2. The objective is to provide easy-access to health testing facilities in urban centres.
3. The reason is that serious health outcomes can be prevented or reduced by early diagnosis, which is encouraged by providing easy access advice and testing.
4. Barnsley has a CDC at The Glass Works in Barnsley Town Centre https://www.barnsleyhospital.nhs.uk/about-us/our-locations/community-diagnostic-centre
5. Sheffield has a rapidly developing city centre, with a forecast population inside the Ring Road of 35,000.
6. Furthermore, it is the focal point for 560,500 residents in the urban area.
7. According to the NHS England Acute Trust League Table from September 2025, the Sheffield Teaching Hospital Trust is ranked 92nd among acute teaching trusts in England.
8. The Trust is a major tertiary centre, meaning it provides highly specialized, complex services that are beyond the scope of secondary or community hospitals.
9. Health inequalities in Sheffield manifest as shorter life expectancies and poorer health outcomes for people in the most deprived areas. Improved access to diagnostics might help address some disadvantages.
10. The hospitals are outside the central focus area for convenient travel.
11. Obtaining tests through GP surgeries requires registration, an appointment and the inconvenience of a likely referral to a hospital for further tests.
12. A CDC condenses the process through a central walk-in testing centre – although pre-booking is still required.
13. The City Centre is undergoing major redevelopment, so the health situation and the health challenges make this the ideal opportunity to consider the benefits of a central NHS Diagnostic facility while the redevelopment is taking place.

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